Sweden’s Saab AB SAABb.ST has offered its GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to both Qatar and Saudi Arabia as part of a wider strategy to spur demand in its military aircraft, the CEO of the defence group revealed on Thursday.
In an interview with Reuters, Saab CEO Michael Johansson said that “We are campaigning, and we have given them offers.”
He added that both Qatar and Saudi Arabia have shown interest in the early-warning and control aircraft that the United Arab Emirates has already ordered. He stated, “We are looking forward to how the decision process will look like in these countries.”
Johansson reported that Saab, which won France orders earlier this year for the aircraft, has also offered the platform on a Bombardier BBDb, to business jet in Canada.
In the context of GlobalEye, he said, “There are a number of countries now looking at this capability and evaluating it. We are in different stages in different campaigns as we speak. Some campaigns we have provided offers.”
Last week, the Netherlands’ defense ministry said that it and a number of NATO allies were abandoning all plans to acquire six of the competing Boeing BA. N E-7 Wedgetail planes and were evaluating other types of aircraft.
Johansson stated that “So now they are looking at whether they can maybe have another capability which we are of course proposing to them, the Global Eye.”
He updated his schedule, stating, this week he was in Canada at the fringes of a state visit to Ottawa by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Johansson indicated that Saab would be willing to transfer technology and know-how as a part of establishing a plant in Canada with Bombardier to install sensors and other duties traditionally performed in Sweden to reconfigure the “green” jets as defense aircraft. Therefore, he indicated that Canada had not yet made its decision.
Similarly, Johansson reported that the Saab was not actively intending to sell its Gripen fighter jet to Canada; therefore, it was giving Ottawa “information” to decide whether to buy the plane.
Canada has contemplated replacing part of Lockheed Martin LMT.N F-35 jets with the Gripen after a trade dispute between Canada and the United States.
Saab had offered to construct Bombardier to manufacture Gripen jets under its own name in Canada, building a third production line to complement those already in production in Sweden and Brazil.
Johansson had indicated that both the Swedish and Brazilian lines would manufacture Gripen jets for Colombia as part of a recent $3.6 billion deal with the South American nation.
